Pawn Crossing the River

In fact, Zhang Yuelu understands very well that many of the ideas advocated by Taishang Taoist ancestors and Xuansheng have not been achieved by the Taoist sect, and may even never be achieved, but Zhang Yuelu still used it to refute the people of the Confucian sect, not just for a moment of rhetoric. Fast, but in Zhang Yuelu's view, there are two different things between failing to do something according to a set standard and not setting a standard at all. The former is bound by a standard after all, while the latter can really do anything.

The Taoist sect has set a standard for equality, but in fact, most people cannot achieve it. But precisely because of the existence of this standard, no one dares to violate it openly. They all do it secretly. Once it is exposed, Just like the third-grade Youyi Taoist priest who was demoted for torturing others, his reputation would inevitably be ruined, so no one dared to act recklessly.

Confucianism simply does not recognize this so-called equality standard. It emphasizes the distinction between superiority and inferiority and class distinction. Equality means there is no standard for equality. People under the Confucian system don't even have to pretend. They openly call slaves and maids. Even if they are beaten to death, it is nothing more than a roll of straw mat. No one will criticize them harshly, let alone the pressure of the law. Nor does moral pressure have to be endured.

There is still some difference between not being able to do it and not doing it, and it is clear at a glance whose bottom line is lower.

Although she was suspected of being worse than others, Zhang Yuelu, as a Taoist disciple who was born and grew up in the Taoist sect, recognized the Taoist sect from the bottom of her heart. Even if the Taoist sect had many shortcomings, she would not be disappointed or disheartened by the Taoist sect because of this. I came up with the idea of ​​​​changing these shortcomings.

Furthermore, Zhang Yuelu must first refute verbally. If the other party persists, then she beats them to prevent others from saying that she "killed them without teaching them."

Of course, this is also related to Zhang Yuelu's identity. As a "rising star" among the younger generation of Taoism, there are many people who know Zhang Yuelu, and they dare not step forward to stop her. If a low-level Taoist priest dares to conflict with a Confucian sect, even if a Confucian sect takes the initiative to provoke him, he will have to fight fifty times each.

Regardless of right or wrong, as long as there is harmony and stability, this is not a thought infiltrated by Confucianism. It is also the inevitable result of Taoism's implementation of the unification of the three religions.

This inevitably reminds Zhang Yuelu of what happened when she was a child. One of her cousins ​​had a fight in the clan school, and the husband invited his father to come. After his father met the husband, he immediately said that he would discipline him well when he returned, regardless of the circumstances.

From beginning to end, my cousin's father didn't ask about right or wrong, nor did he care about right or wrong. He wanted to give him a beating first.

In fact, even in fights, there are situations where you are provoked and forced to fight back, but adults don't care about this. They only care about not being able to fight, but they don't care why they fight, and they don't care how to solve problems without fighting. The key is unity and harmony. It can be seen that this kind of logical thinking is of the same origin. From managing Taoism to managing one's own small family, it has penetrated into the bones.

Therefore, Zhang Yuelu had no intention of opposing the Confucian sect, and she could not change it. Even if the Taoist sect died out, this thought engraved in her bones would not be erased. She was just opposed to using the Confucian method to govern the world.

Zhang Yuelu entered the Yuxu Palace. At this time, the palace was brightly lit. Compared with the solemnity during the Three Religions Conference, there were not only many more lights, but also many looming gauze hanging, embroidered with auspicious clouds, reflecting the candlelight. Every time there were The wind blows like clouds and mist.

Everyone who enters the temple is alone at a table. The entire layout is similar to a chess board placed horizontally. The boundary river of the chessboard is the middle avenue facing the palace gate. The seats on both sides of the avenue are like neatly arranged squares.

Zhang Yuelu's location is relatively far forward, and you need to walk along the middle road for a while.

Halfway through the journey, Zhang Yuelu stopped and his eyes fell on a young man.

In terms of appearance alone, this person is not inferior to Qin Lingge in any way, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, but he does not give the impression of being heroic, sharp-edged, or cynical, but rather calm and peaceful.

This person is Li Changge, who is famous in martial arts. It is hard to believe that he is from the Li family.

In many people's minds, the Li family has never lacked careerists, conspirators, or madmen. However, every few generations of the Li family, there will be an outstanding figure who changes the family's reputation. The most famous one is Xuansheng. Well, in this generation, Master Qingwei's reputation is actually quite good, and he has no bad deeds. In other words, the Li family has managed to keep face and character separate, without letting their face become stained with dust.

As for Li Changge, he was far less arrogant than many people imagined. On the contrary, under his background, Zhang Yuelu, who "spoke wildly" in his discussions, was the arrogant one. Li Changge is the kind of person who sounds very flamboyant in what he does, but is very restrained and reserved in actual words and deeds. As the first-class son of a noble family in the Taoist sect, he is low-key and humble, which is really a great contrast. It's no wonder that so many people are praising him. If he wasn't strong enough, the Li family wouldn't be able to help him up.

Feeling Zhang Yuelu's gaze, Li Changge, who had been wandering around, came back to his senses and smiled at Zhang Yuelu. There was no provocation or hostility, nor was there any inappropriate and ambiguous look. His eyes were clear, and it was just a very ordinary greeting. , it seems that the two are not rivals from different camps.

Zhang Yuelu also smiled lightly and responded to Li Changge's greeting.

She never belittled the Li family because they were enemies. For example, it was true that Li Tianlan was dishonest and cunning.

Another example is the Li Tianlan in front of him. Whether he is deep-tempered and good at disguise, or he is broad-minded, he is an undeniable rival.

It is hard to imagine that the Li Changge in front of him is actually the same family as the young master named Li outside the palace. This is the Li family, a mixed bag of fish and dragons, mud and sand, and all kinds of people.

The two just greeted each other without any other verbal exchanges. Zhang Yuelu was about to move on when a slender hand placed on her shoulder.

Zhang Yuelu subconsciously looked back and saw a woman wearing a lotus crown and a sword of wisdom standing behind her, with silk draped over her arms and a whisk in her hand.

This female crown has a tall figure, charming eyebrows, and a little sparkle between her eyebrows. She is an out-and-out beauty.

"Uncle Master." Zhang Yuelu said in surprise.

Zhang Yuelu has a group of senior sisters including Bai Yingqiong and Junior Sister Xiao. Naturally, Master Cihang also has many senior sisters. Even after years of baptism, many of them have died or retired to the mountains and forests, or even married and left the Taoist sect, but the remaining There are still quite a few people, otherwise they cannot be called Cihang's lineage, so Zhang Yuelu still has many uncles and uncles.

Zhang Yuelu did not expect to see this uncle in Yuxu Palace.

Speaking of this uncle, he is really a legendary figure who is talked about in Cihang's lineage. This uncle's real name is Shi Bingyun, and he is a famous lover. However, unlike Zhang Yuyue, who is a big grievance, he has always been She takes the initiative to abandon others, but no one has ever been able to abandon her.

It is said that Shi Bingyun was expected to compete with his senior sister for the position of Master Cihang, but because of a man, he voluntarily gave up. The Cihang lineage does not reject matters between men and women, but they must abide by the rules. To put it bluntly, there is nothing wrong with two people being in love and marrying a matchmaker, but you can't have sex without distinction. At that time, Shi Bingyun had a private life-long relationship with that man, and even gave her body to him. Naturally, this attracted opposition from many conservative old people, so she simply stopped doing it and concentrated on talking about love. ..

From then on, the two sisters embarked on completely different paths.

Master Cihang vowed not to marry for the rest of his life, but he climbed up the ranks step by step, and now he is expected to compete for the position of Grand Master. No one else knew what Shi Bingyun was thinking, but in the eyes of many people, it was a sign of self-destruction because the man gave up his future. As a result, the man died on the battlefield in the Western Regions not long after. Shi Bingyun cried loudly for three days and went to the Western Regions to collect the corpse. He was silent for a long time.

At this time, the status has been determined, and there is no possibility of change. In order to relieve the melancholy of his lover's death, Shi Bingyun left Putuo Island and traveled around. He accidentally rescued a man who had completely lost his cultivation. After learning that this man ended up like this because he was betrayed by his lover, Shi Bingyun took the initiative to help him heal his injuries and search for him. The method of recovering his cultivation gradually led to him feeling pity for this person. The experience of the two of them can be said to have been filled with ups and downs, but they did not expect that this person's true identity was actually the proud disciple of Grandmaster Jin Gong of the "Heavenly Court". It was Wu Guangbi who was the leader of the "Tianting" avenue today, so the two had to part ways.

Although Shi Bingyun took the initiative to let go, it was not a good thing after all, and his reputation would inevitably be affected.

What's even more outrageous is that Shi Bingyun later had an affair with a mysterious woman, which caused a storm in the city. In the end, it's unclear whether he was under pressure from his fellow apprentices or because he was tired of it, but they ended up breaking up.

Unexpectedly, Shi Bingyun didn't stop for a few years, and then had a relationship with a prince of the clan, and almost talked about getting married. It happened that the prince's first wife died, and Shi Bingyun was not a young lady, so no one should dislike anyone. But in the end, due to various obstacles and pressure, it still failed. However, the two did not stop contacting each other. Over the years, they remained connected. Shi Bingyun did not find another man or woman, and the prince did not remarry. The twists and turns are not enough for outsiders to understand, but many people know what happened, and it was rumored to be a legend for a while.

It can be said that Shi Bingyun is very "long-faced" to Cihang's lineage, but probably out of the friendship between senior sisters, Master Cihang did not interfere too much, and only stepped forward to stop it when it was really outrageous.

The reason why Zhang Yuelu got to know this senior uncle was really a coincidence. At that time, she was just the Taoist priest in charge of Beichen Hall. She often went to Cihang's residence in Yujing. One time, she happened to meet Shi Bingyun who came to visit her senior sister. This acquaintance.

Speaking of which, Zhang Yuelu had not seen this uncle for a long time. It was said that she was sent by Master Cihang to stay in the Imperial Palace. Unexpectedly, they would meet again today at the Ghost Festival celebration.

Shi Bingyun is a cheerful person: "It is said that scholars should treat each other with admiration after three days apart. The ancients do not deceive me. We haven't seen each other for a long time, and you are already a third-grade Youyi Taoist priest. You will catch up with me soon."

Zhang Yuelu just smiled and did not answer.

Shi Bingyun was able to give up the fight for the position of Master Cihang, which shows that this is not her ambition, so she does not care much about the third and second grades. In a sense, she still retains a bit of innocent childishness, and she cares more about the love between men and women. , then the conversation changed: "By the way, I heard that you were dating a young Taoist named Qi Xuansu..."